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Re: China closer to matching modern militaries

Not to mention it doesn't account for the fact that domestic procurment of materiel as well as salaries for military personnel are but a fraction of those in the US.

Even so, I seriously doubt that the PRC as their government is currently would attempt to challenge outright the US on the battlefield.

If the PRC were to attack the US it would divert resources that they use to maintain their authoritarian government structure. Which means that in order to challenge the US they would have to engage in democratic reforms so they can free up their gendarmerie to fight soldiers, or at least to disable internal rebellion.

But if they imposed democratic reforms then it would be unlikely that the PRC would wage war against the US as I don't think the majority of the Chinese people would really want to fight the US unless the US gave the people of China a casus belli.

So, even so, I don't think we have much to worry about, especially considering how much the Chinese economy depends on the US consuming the goods they manufacture.

Re: China closer to matching modern militaries

Originally Posted by celticwar17

China is going to become the next super power without a doubt.

And what a great example of a world power. A heavy handed government which keeps its own people down for the proliferation of a few elite. Even we have Unions, even if some hate them. China wants to be all that, but in the end it's not something we should exalt.

You know the time is right to take control, we gotta take offense against the status quo

Originally Posted by A. de Tocqueville

"I should have loved freedom, I believe, at all times, but in the time in which we live I am ready to worship it."

Re: China closer to matching modern militaries

Originally Posted by Ikari

And what a great example of a world power. A heavy handed government which keeps its own people down for the proliferation of a few elite. Even we have Unions, even if some hate them. China wants to be all that, but in the end it's not something we should exalt.

Actually, I think that China, while a superpower, is too authoritarian internally to project itself militarily. This is why I think it's actually half a superpower - it can only really pressure other nations economically. It can't pressure other nations militarily because it uses too much of its weapons to hold itself together internally.

So the Chinese Communist Party will have to make a decision:
1) either continue to impose itself on it's domestic territory at the cost of having greater influence on global affairs, especially militarily
2) either democratize the nation so that they won't have to control so much of its people and therefore people will choose not to rebel which will allow the nation to project itself without the worry of internal rebellion

Re: China closer to matching modern militaries

Originally Posted by AdamT

You mean they don't believe in "American exceptionalism"?

I don't think you know much about China or the world in general...

China is likely to be a future problem. A large part of that is their huge unbalanced population. Due to selective abortions and infanticide, they have a significantly skewed population. Millions more males than females. Historically, populations with this kind of disproportionate population have had aggression problems with their neighbors. So expect some expansion efforts in the next couple of decades. And possibly a war with India.

Re: China closer to matching modern militaries

Originally Posted by ric27

I don't think you know much about China or the world in general...

China is likely to be a future problem. A large part of that is their huge unbalanced population. Due to selective abortions and infanticide, they have a significantly skewed population. Millions more males than females. Historically, populations with this kind of disproportionate population have had aggression problems with their neighbors. So expect some expansion efforts in the next couple of decades. And possibly a war with India.

But what you forget to consider is that that aggression may be channeled at their own government rather than towards other nations.

Re: China closer to matching modern militaries

Originally Posted by ric27

I don't think you know much about China or the world in general...

China is likely to be a future problem. A large part of that is their huge unbalanced population. Due to selective abortions and infanticide, they have a significantly skewed population. Millions more males than females. Historically, populations with this kind of disproportionate population have had aggression problems with their neighbors. So expect some expansion efforts in the next couple of decades. And possibly a war with India.

Hmm, you seem to think you know more about China than you actually know. Their male/female population isn't that skewed:

Re: China closer to matching modern militaries

But what you forget to consider is that that aggression may be channeled at their own government rather than towards other nations.

A growing middle class may stabilize China and move it away from war, but there are lots of other factors to consider and it would be unwise to rely on it to keep China from war.

Unfortunately, I think you aren't taking this seriously because you don't want to believe it.

China has long been buying advanced armaments they don't need for defense. They have threatened Taiwan repeatedly. They steal our nuclear secrets and technology. They ram our airplanes and then hold them illegally for weeks while they extract all the intelligence information they can. They make cozy economic & weapons deals with Iran, they get control of the Panama canal and the potential to isolate our Pacific and Atlantic fleets and buying US oil companies.

Re: China closer to matching modern militaries

Originally Posted by AdamT

Hmm, you seem to think you know more about China than you actually know. Their male/female population isn't that skewed:

Sex distribution: male 51.27%; female 48.73% (2010)

A one percent difference in proportion in China is about 60 million people. Meaning China has more males without a probable female partner then then entire population of Canada. Of course that does mean that it has 60 million men that have to work very hard and save alot of money to become a suitable marriage partner. Or they can just import Vietnamese and North Korean women to become brides

Conservatives believe that the government is incompetent, and seek to elect people who will ensure it is